US President Donald Trump has announced the immediate imposition of a 25 percent tariff on all goods from countries that continue to conduct business with Iran, escalating economic pressure on the Islamic Republic amid widespread anti-government protests.
In a post on his social media platform Truth on Monday (January 12, local time), Trump said the tariff would apply to any country trading with Iran in its dealings with the United States. “Any country that does business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a 25 percent tariff on all trade with the United States. This order is final,” he wrote.
While Trump said the measure would take effect immediately, he did not clarify what specific types of trade with Iran would trigger the tariff. The White House has also not provided further details on the scope of the decision or identified which countries are likely to be most affected.
According to the BBC, the announcement is expected to intensify pressure on the Iranian government as protests continue across the country. China is Iran’s largest trading partner, followed by Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and India.
In recent days, Trump has repeatedly warned that the United States could intervene militarily if Iranian security forces continue to kill protesters.
Meanwhile, human rights group HRANA reported that nearly 500 protesters and 48 members of the security forces have been killed so far in the unrest, cautioning that the actual death toll may be higher.
